Maintained: 2026-09-24 (UTC). Verification tags: [V] = service live-fetched and read during the Tier-1 pack build (2026-09-23/24); [K] = knowledge-based (re-verify before relying on it for a consequential claim or dossier entry). Tag every reuse of these entries in dossiers likewise.
Scope: free access to telescope/satellite data and to steerable observing time, under the relaxed bar agreed with the user (fully anonymous where possible; simple free account acceptable).
0. Tier-1 baseline pack (built 2026-09-23/24)#
A provenance-logged sample of every §1 archive was built by cygnus.ingest.tier1 (see ANALYSIS_STACK.md, tools/build_pack_docs.py) and lives at [private Drive store] with per-service manifests (sha256+md5, exact endpoints, verbatim queries) and MASTER_MANIFEST.csv. Retention (user instruction, 2026-09-24): bulky data is Drive-hosted only; staged local copies are deleted after rclone MD5 verification. Worktree keeps code, ledger (state/ledger.sqlite), and manifests (docs/tier1_pack/). Re-download any product from the recorded URLs; never run rclone sync from an emptied staging dir (it would mirror the emptiness and delete the Drive copy — use rclone copy).
The optional cygnus.analysis suite (docs/ANALYSIS_SUITE.md) offers bounded, read-only reanalysis pilots for selected pack products. Its Colab notebook first checks the manifest and SHA-256; it does not establish that Drive is mounted, that a catalog is complete, or that an anomaly is a new object. Existing pack fields/epochs are targeted samples, not a blind or unsurveyed sky census.
Service quirks verified live (use these; re-verify dates if claims become consequential):
- MAST [V 2026-09-23]: CAOM
target_nameis the TIC id (261136679for Pi Mensae) — cone search + nearest-target group works; exact-name probes return zero. Kepler LC subgroup isLLC(TESS SPOC LC isLC). JWST/HST cone +obs_collectionworks (provenance_name='JWST'is actuallyCALJWST). File API:https://mast.stsci.edu/api/v0.1/Download/file?uri=<dataURI>. - Gaia [V 2026-09-23/24]: use TAP
FORMAT=csv— astropy's VOTable binary reader decodes var-char fields with a hardcoded ascii codec and raises on non-ASCII bytes; pyvo fails similarly on tap_schema descriptions. Live table names:nss_acceleration_astro(notnss_acceleration),vari_eclipsing_binary(notvari_eb);xp_sampled_mean_spectrumabsent from the live gaiadr3 schema dump (xp_summarypresent). - CDS [V 2026-09-23/24]: TAPVizieR
tap_schema.tables.table_namevalues arrive already quote-wrapped ("'B/vsx/vsx'"); VSX's real id isB/vsx/vsx(B/vsxalone 400s "table not found"). Sync row caps apply; async queue can idle long. - ESO [V 2026-09-24]:
ivoa.ObsCorehas nodataRightscolumn (400);access_urlis a DATALINK pointer (/datalink/links?ID=...) whose VOTable rows hold the actual.fitsURLs (resolve smallest science product). - IRSA [V 2026-09-23/24]: TAP works with
CONTAINS(POINT('J2000',...))=1; AllWISE catalog table isallwise_p3as_psdand a 20-column list is rejected server-side (6-column subset works);tap_schema.tablesrows come back as unnamedcol_0/col_1columns; 2MASS point-source catalog is not served via TAP (image tables only). ZTF CGI (/cgi-bin/ZTF/nph_light_curves) accepts onlyPOS+FORMAT(MERGE/BAD_DATA→ 400 UsageFault). - Legacy Survey [V 2026-09-23/24]: the old
/api/region/tractorand/api/brickare retired (nginx 404s); live routes are/viewer/bricks/?ralo=..&rahi=..&declo=..&dechi=..&layer=...(JSONpolys[].name= brick names) and tractor files athttps://portal.nersc.gov/cfs/cosmo/data/legacysurvey/dr{9,10}/{north|south}/tractor/{AAA}/tractor-{brick}.fits(documented indr9/files). LS/unWISE layers: CC BY 4.0 with required credit "Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute)" (acknowledgment page fetched 2026-09-24). - SkyView [V 2026-09-23]: survey names verified against
SkyView.survey_dict(DSS2 Blue,2MASS-K,WISE 12,GALEX Near UV,SDSSg); WISE requests returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-23/24 (service unavailable). - NED [V 2026-09-23]:
astroquery.nedworks but is deprecated (moved toastroquery.ipac.ned).
1. Deep-sky astronomy archives (anonymous — no account)#
| Service | URL | Script access | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAST (STScI) — HST, JWST, TESS, Kepler/K2, Pan-STARRS, GALEX, HLSPs | https://mast.stsci.edu/ [V] | astroquery.mast (portal API, TAP) | FITS/level-3 products, light curves, HLSPs; anonymous downloads for public data |
| Gaia Archive (ESA) | https://gea.esac.esa.int/archive/ [K] | ADQL via astroquery.gaia / TAP+ | astrometry, photometry, RV, NSS tables (DR3) |
| SkyView (NASA GSFC/HEASARC) | https://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/ [V] | astroquery.skyview | multi-survey cutouts: DSS, 2MASS, SDSS, GALEX, WISE, UKIDSS, FIRST, AKARI, TESS FFI |
| CDS Strasbourg (VizieR / SIMBAD / Aladin) | https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/ · https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/ [K] | astroquery.vizier, astroquery.simbad, TAP | tens of thousands of catalogs; object cross-IDs; TAP anonymous |
| NED (NASA/IPAC) | https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/ [K] | astroquery.ned | extragalactic identifications, references |
| ESA Sky | https://esasky.esa.int/ [K] | browser | integrated viewer for ESA (JWST/HST? Euclid, Gaia, XMM) + missions |
| ESO Science Archive | https://archive.eso.org/ [K] | astroquery.eso, TAP | VLT/ALMA/large programs; public products anonymous |
| IRSA (NASA/IPAC) — WISE, 2MASS, ZTF | https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/ [K] | astroquery.irsa, IRSA TAP | all-WISE catalogs, ZTF light curves (main ZTF IRSA mirror) |
| Legacy Survey viewer / unWISE coadds | https://www.legacysurvey.org/viewer [K] | REST z-cutout API | deep optical N-S imaging + unWISE IR, anonymous cutouts |
2. Earth-observation archives (satellite imagery)#
| Service | URL | Access tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASA Earthdata (Earthdata Search, DAACs) | https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/ [V] | free Earthdata Login for downloads [V] | MODIS, VIIRS, GPM, Landsat (LP DAAC), ICESat-2, HLS; operational banner: Suomi NPP delivery ends 2026-11-01 → migrate to NOAA-20/21 products [V] |
| Worldview / GIBS | https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/ [K] | anonymous browsing [K] | near-real-time map imagery |
| FIRMS (fires) | https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/ [K] | browse anonymous, download needs Earthdata Login [K] | |
| ASF Vertex (Alaska Satellite Facility DAAC) | https://search.asf.alaska.edu/ [K] | free Earthdata Login [K] | SAR: Sentinel-1, ALOS, RCM, SMAP |
| Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE) | https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/ [V] | Copernicus Browser viewing anonymous [V: homepage wording]; downloads/API/openEO/STAC/JupyterLab need free account [V/K] | Sentinel-1/2/3/5P full archive; openEO server-side processing |
| Sentinel-2 / Landsat COGs on AWS open buckets | [K] | anonymous S3 reads | best scripted route for EO without any login |
| USGS EarthExplorer | https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/ [K] | free USGS account [K] | full Landsat history incl. oldest MSS |
| space-track.org | https://www.space-track.org/ [K] | free account [K] | TLEs for satellite tracking sifsa (tangent to imaging but useful) |
Caveat retained from audit: CDSE replaced SciHub (Oct 2023) — anonymous bulk download claims seen in older guides are stale. Anonymous fallback = AWS open buckets.
3. Steerable telescope time#
| Route | URL | Access tier | Capabilities / limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| MicroObservatory / Observing With NASA (CfA) | https://mo-www.cfa.harvard.edu/OWN/ · control: https://mo-www.cfa.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/OWN/Own.pl [V both] | free, no account | fixed curated target list (incl. Cyg X-1, Algol, SS Cyg, T CrB, Mira, Delta Cep, planets, Moon, Sun); flow = target → settings → email → submit; image (JPEG+FITS) typically next day; no custom RA/Dec |
| Skynet Robotic Telescope Network (UNC) | https://skynet.unc.edu/ [V] | free simple sign-up [V/K: login required] | custom RA/Dec, filters, integrations, scheduling queue; professional scopes (PROMPT @ CTIO, Yerkes, …) + radio (Green Bank); efficiencies table published; next-gen "Skynet Global Observatory" in preview @ https://skynetgo.org [V] |
| Competitive proposal time (free ≠ queue-free) | JDox: https://jwst-docs.stsci.edu/ [V — Cycle 6 call open, dual-anonymous review] · Gemini/NRAO/ESO [K] | registration + TAC proposal | JWST/HST/GBT/VLBA/ESO/VLT; institutional-affiliation expectations; not "drop-in" time |
4. JWST free-data specifics#
- Primary and canonical: MAST — https://mast.stsci.edu/ [V]; via
astroquery.mast. Anonymous downloads for public data. - ESA mirror: ESA JWST Science Archive — https://jwst.esac.esa.int/archive/ [V].
- Access rule [K, confirm on policy page]: products become public when each program's exclusive-access period ends — default 12 months; commissioning/early-release data were public essentially immediately; by 2026 the large majority of Cycle 1–3 (2022–2025) observations are public. Policy page: NASA-SMD Policy 2 "Data Rights and Data Dissemination" in JDox [V-fetched; body app-gated, nav only — open in a browser to read the full text].
5. Supplementary solar-system services (agent addition, beyond user's list)#
| Service | URL | Access | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPL Horizons | https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/ [K] | anonymous | ephemerides for asteroids, small bodies, SSO prospects |
| JPL Small-Body Database API | https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.api [K] | anonymous | orbital elements, fit parameter lookups |
| MPC (Minor Planet Center) | https://minorplanetcenter.net/ [K] | mostly anonymous | IHB/NECP candidate checks before "uncataloged" claims |
| AstDyS / NEODyS | https://newton.spacedys.com/astdys/ [K] | anonymous | independent orbit solutions |
6. Worktree access mechanics & hygiene#
- Scripting stack:
astroquery,pyvo(TAP/VO),astropy,lightkurve; EO side via STAC API / openEO / direct S3 bucket reads. Tier-1 retrieval uses the byte-safeTapDirectclient (src/cygnus/ingest/tap.py, CSV-first) withastroqueryfor MAST/SkyView/SIMBAD/NED search stages. - Downloads land in
[private path](nonsynced, disposable). Curated outputs and reports go to the connected Google Drive at[private Drive store](rclone remote; scopedrive.file— see AGENTS.md). Retention (2026-09-24): bulk data is Drive-hosted only; staged files are deleted after rclone MD5 verification; worktree retains code + ledger + manifests. - Credentials: kept out of the repo and out of logs/transcripts: never pasted into code, dossiers, or search logs. Centralize auth in uncommitted environment files. One free account each (Earthdata, CDSE) covers all Tier-2 services; note which tokens were configured and when without logging the secrets themselves.
- Query discipline for every retrieval: record endpoint, exact query/selection text, UTC retrieval date, catalog/release identifier, product IDs (and checksums when served), plus package versions. This is the provenance trail dossier sections point at.
- Rate limits: honor each service's published concurrency policies; back off on HTTP 429/503; prefer resumable chunked downloads over restart-from-scratch.
- Verification tags traveled with the data: any [K] entry used in a dossier or magnitude/mass estimate must first be re-verified live (or replaced by an authoritative citation) when the claim becomes consequential.